Presentation of a special issue of the theatre magazine Proscenium and opening of the exhibition Scenographer

lenatmfmuseum
Oct 4
2 min read

On 26 September, a double event took place in the foyer of the Maria Zankovetska National Theatre: the presentation of a special issue of Proscenium dedicated to the art of scenography and the opening of the Scenographer exhibition to mark the 95th anniversary of Myron Kyprian – an artist who designed more than 350 performances and worked as the theatre's chief artist for 56 years.

The second floor of the theatre displays models of stage designs, sketches, drawings, and costumes from performances that have become symbols of the brilliant artistic creativity of Myron Kyprian, the "Count" of stage design.

Roman Lavrentiy, editor-in-chief of Proscenium, emphasised that the journal, which has been published since 2001 thanks to the initiative of Maya Garbuzyuk, Bohdan Kozak and Nina Bichuya, has always maintained a balance between scientific and popular styles. Its texts are addressed to both researchers and anyone who loves theatre. In 2026, Proscenium will celebrate its 25th anniversary, and this anniversary will be an opportunity to once again highlight its uniqueness in the cultural space.

The participants discussed authenticity, development, and the future of Ukrainian theatre.

The curator of the special issue, Professor Roman Yatsiv, developed a concept entitled "Scenography: Meanings of Space." Set designer and director Bohdan Polishchuk became the promoter of the publication, attracting authors to the new section "A Point Changes Space." It was this section that opened up space for new research and lively reflection.

The presentation was accompanied by speeches:

Ihor Bilits – chief director of the Maria Zankovetska Theatre, actor, teacher, playwright, emphasised the importance of interest in scenography and noted the contribution of Myron Kiprian as an outstanding artist.

Tetiana Rudenko, chief curator of the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema Arts of Ukraine, reminded us that Proscenium is a living chronicle that preserves the balance between memory and modernity.

Oleh Oneshchak – event producer, actor at the Les Kurbas Theatre, co-founder and head of the Lviv Gallery of Scenography public organisation, spoke about the idea of creating the Gallery of Scenography and the experience of the Lviv Quadrennial, inspired by the Prague experience.

Myroslava Tsyganik – Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Arts at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, responsible for publishing a theatre studies journal, expressed her pride in the work that preserves and enhances national identity, noting that this special issue dedicated to scenography is a historical publication that inspires our students and colleagues to new creative discoveries and affirms the importance of theatre as a space for spiritual growth.

Nina Bichuya – Ukrainian writer, prose writer, translator, journalist and member of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine, shared the joy that fills everyone involved in the release of the special issue of the magazine, as it testifies to the development of Ukrainian theatre and it is extremely important to be the driving force behind such progress.

Natalia Rudenko-Kraievska– a researcher and theorist, set designer, called for the soldiers defending the country not to be forgotten and observed a minute's silence in their memory.